


Before the Sand runs out

by Lakritzwolf



Series: Stolen Lives [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-04 14:21:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakritzwolf/pseuds/Lakritzwolf
Summary: Fate has given Magnus and Alec barely enough time to recover from Magnus’ time in Edom, and what followed after. And despite having expected the succubus sisters to return, they still get taken by surprise when it happens in a way they have not foreseen. Now Alec’s life is on the line and Magnus has to defeat time and death to save him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beautiful cover art by @beyondthehunt on [twitter](https://twitter.com/beyondthehunt) and [tumblr](http://beyondthehunt.tumblr.com/)

Little more than a week had passed since Magnus’ return from Edom, but since demons have no respect for the concept of a Shadowhunter desperately needing some downtime, Alec had been forced to leave the loft more than once during the few days they had tried to set aside to recuperate. And while it was true that Magnus needed the rest more than Alec did, he also really wanted to spend some time with Alec, and _only_ Alec. After believing for so long that he would never see him again he now didn’t want to let him go.

Alec himself would rather have taken care of Magnus instead of demon attacks, but it had taken a visit from Magnus to the Institute because he missed his boyfriend before Alec put his foot down, telling the rules and his duties to go screw themselves. Izzy had fully supported that statement and shooed him out of the door.

They portalled to Paris the very same evening, to spend some quality time in Magnus’ townhouse there, far away from duties and obligations. No warlock with clients and duties, no head of the Institute. 

Just Magnus and Alec.

They ended the first day in Paris with a visit to the Eiffel Tower, and once back home, left a trail of shoes and clothes behind on their way to the bedroom.

* * *

“Morning.”

The cream-coloured curtains turned the rays of the morning sun into a golden haze.

“Morning,” Alec muttered and turned slowly onto his side. Magnus had turned to face him as well, and they shared a sleepy little smile.

“How do you feel about breakfast?” Magnus asked, his smile widening a little.  
“I’m starving,” Alec replied with a chuckle. “We kind of skipped dinner last night.”  
Magnus faked a thoughtful frown. “I wonder why...”  
“Because we had other things on our minds?” Alec offered and folded his arms behind his head.

They looked at each other for a moment before they both had to laugh.

Then Magnus sat up and stretched, arching his back, and then left the bed to pull back the curtains. It was long after rush-hour and the streets of Paris below were almost silent, compared to Brooklyn.

Alec sat up as well, and watched Magnus draw back the curtains with a dreamy little smile on his face. Magnus went hunting for his hastily discarded underwear and they both chuckled when it took him a moment to find it. When he straightened up however his eyes fell onto the floor-length mirror on the wardrobe door, and the smile slowly died on his face.

“Magnus?” Alec leaned forward.

Magnus didn’t reply, just looked at himself in the mirror, with a facial expression that was impossible to read. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed heavily.

“Magnus,” Alec said again and left the bed as well, not bothering with underwear. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing,” Magnus said, his voice low and slightly rough.  
“Come on.” Alec kept the chiding tone in his voice to a minimum.  
“Nothing wrong, as such...” Magnus offered then, still looking at the mirror.

Alec waited, and after a moment, Magnus took a deep breath.

“I had a dream last night,” Magnus said after a moment, in an even lower voice. “Not one of those nightmares that have you wake up screaming, but one that...”  
Alec stepped closer, and rested his hands on Magnus’ shoulders.  
“I...” Magnus swallowed hard again. “I know I never told you about... of what exactly my father did to me.”  
“And I didn’t want to push.” Alec shrugged. “Although... sometimes I couldn’t stop asking myself if it really was so bad that you couldn’t trust me with it.”

Magnus shook his head with a mirthless little huff. “It’s not about trust, Alexander. It’s about you being able to look at me without remembering that hideous visage that he called my true nature.” He paused, and closed his eyes for a few seconds before he continued. “He flayed my skin, most of it. I was left without ears or nose or hair, and my fingers ended in claws instead of nails. It was... enormously amusing to him. He didn’t allow me to glamour myself at first, and later he tried to bait me with the offer of restoring my face. He made that offer a few times....” A heavy sigh. “The last time with the amendment that it would happen after the marriage was consummated and binding.”

Their eyes met in the mirror, and Alec lowered his face a bit to brush his cheek against Magnus’ jaw. He dropped a kiss onto the corner of Magnus’ mouth and brushed his nose across his temple.

“This is your true nature,” Alec whispered softly. “You’re not a demon, Magnus. You’re a warlock, fathered by a demon, born of a human mother. You don’t have a demon hidden under your skin. This is you. Your true self.”

Magnus closed his eyes and exhaled a long, heavy breath as he leaned back against Alec’s body.

“I...” Alec hesitated for a moment. “I kept thinking, you know. What would have happened if Catarina hadn’t managed to fix you. But in the end...” He sighed and pressed his temple against Magnus’. “In the end, it wouldn’t have mattered. Flayed skin or not, it was still you. No matter what your face looks like, Magnus. It’s still you.”  
“But you would prefer this face, even if it were a glamour,” Magnus said and opened his eyes again.  
“I would,” Alec said simply, but there was that same intense look in his eyes that he had shown Magnus back then, upon the revelation of what Magnus had done to his stepfather.

There’s nothing ugly about you.

When Magnus opened his eyes again they were unglamoured, and again, their eyes met in the mirror. Magnus swallowed, but then a shimmer of magic blurred his face for a moment, and rippled down his body.

Alec didn’t even blink, and he didn’t move an inch, his face still pressed against Magnus’ cheek. “If I could I’d kill him again,” was all he said.

Magnus sighed and within a heartbeat his body was back to normal.

Alec nuzzled the side of Magnus neck and dropped a few kisses onto his shoulder before straightening up. He closed his arms around Magnus’ chest and pulled him close, and Magnus melted into his embrace for a moment.

And when he stepped away to turn and face Alec again, his smile was back. It was faint, but true, and he rested the palm of his hand on Alec’s cheek. They shared a quick, affectionate kiss, before they stepped apart to get dressed.

There was a small, cosy cafe only a few minutes’ walk away from Magnus’ Paris townhouse, and they took their time with their breakfast, enjoying oven-fresh baked goods and coffee from a large French press. The porcelain had a dainty little flower print around the rim of cups and plates, and if Alec had one pain au chocolat too many then there was no one else to blame but him. It wasn’t the first time this happened, and it would not be the last. You couldn’t get pain au chocolat like that in New York.

After breakfast they didn’t head home straight away but walked through the streets of Paris towards the Seine. Hand in hand they strolled along the river until they found a small stone bench close to the Pont des Arts where they sat down, to watch the river and the people passing them by.

A little further down the path was another bench, occupied by an elderly couple. They were in their seventies, maybe even eighties, and they were sitting side by side in silence. Magnus and Alec hadn’t been sitting on their own bench for long before the old man got up with the help of a cane, and held out his hand to his wife to help her up in turn. He offered her his arm and she took it with a smile, and they slowly made their way towards the nearest flight of stairs that led back up to the road.

As they passed them by Magnus wished them a good morning – of course he was fluent in French – and they both thanked him with a smile. They walked slow and laboured, aided by canes, their voices roughened by old age.

The two men on the bench remained silent after the couple had left and stared into the river.

Eventually Alec had to look up as Magnus huffed out an incredibly heavy sigh. He looked over his other shoulder, and Alec followed his gaze. The old couple had reached the top of the stairs, and the woman waited until her husband had caught his breath back so they could continue.

After a moment Magnus looked back at Alec again, and their eyes met. Alec reached out and took Magnus’ hand in his, running his thumb across Magnus’ knuckles.

“Magnus?”  
Magnus looked up, but very slowly.  
“What’s wrong now?”  
Shaking his head, Magnus swallowed and sighed, dropping his eyes again. “Tell me you haven’t been thinking about it.”  
Alec looked back at the stairs but the couple had vanished out of sight. Then he looked back at Magnus. “That we will never have what they have. Is it that?”  
Magnus nodded without looking up. “Growing old together.”

Alec looked ahead at the river, folding his hands between his knees. He inhaled softly, licked his lips, and then straightened up again.

“I kind of... you know, I tried to make my peace with it,” Alec eventually said.  
“And?” Magnus’ voice was so soft it was hardly audible.  
Alec huffed, a mirthless little chuckle. “Not really successful yet.”  
“I thought so.” Magnus sighed and shook his head.

“Look,” Alec said after another pause. “Magnus. I don’t... I really don’t want to think about it but I can’t help it.”  
“Neither can I,” Magnus replied and finally met Alec’s gaze. His eyes were dark and misted over. “I don’t want to think about losing you.”

Alec took one of Magnus’ hands between his own. “You won’t lose me just yet,” he said and tried to smile. “Not a single grey hair.”  
Magnus tried to smile as well. “You’d make one hell of a silver fox, Alexander.”  
“Looking forward to it?” Alec asked, trying to lighten the mood.  
“No,” Magnus replied flatly and stared straight ahead again, his attempt at a smile gone again.

“Magnus,” Alec said with a sigh. “Is there anything I can do?”  
Magnus shook his head with a sad little chuckle. “Short of becoming immortal yourself, no.”  
“Okay.”

Magnus blinked, and slowly turned his head to look at Alec again who met his eyes calmly.

“Okay?”  
“Okay,” Alec said again. “I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who’s tried.”  
“Tried what? Become immortal?” Magnus leaned back a little to better look at him. “Alexander, if anyone had ever succeeded in it, then we would know about it. It’s impossible.”  
“As impossible as killing a greater demon and getting you out of Edom?” Alec shot back.

Magnus needed a moment before he remembered to shut his mouth. Alec reached out and rested his hand on the side of Magnus’ face. He caressed the cheekbone with his thumb, a slightly crooked smile on his face.

“So that’s the next item on Alexander Lightwood’s to-do list of ‘Impossible Things’, hmm?” Magnus shook his head. “Becoming immortal?”  
“I might need a little help with that,” Alec replied and leaned forward, resting his forehead gently against Magnus’ temple.

Gritting his teeth, Magnus swallowed heavily, but he rested his hand atop Alec’s that was cradling his face. “Alexander...” he began hesitantly. “Not that I don’t appreciate the notion, but immortality is a heavy burden sometimes.”  
“You would know better than me,” Alec replied. “But is it wrong of me... not wanting you to face it alone?”

“Alexander,” Magnus said again and now he leaned back, searching Alec’s eyes. “I... I have to be honest.” He swallowed. “I am afraid of the consequences. For you.”  
Alec tilted his head, a slight frown forming on his face. “What consequences? Losing my friends and family?”

Magnus wrung his hands together and shook his head, pursing his lips. It took him a moment to sort his thoughts, and he did so in a very hesitant voice, his words halting and almost stilted.

“That too, but I am afraid of... of what will happen once... should things change.” Magnus stared at the cobblestones at his feet. “Between us.”  
“What do you mean, things change between us?” Alec asked, his eyebrows drawing together.  
“Feelings,” Magnus said, still with downcast eyes. “Hearts move on. People fall out of love. What if one day you discover that-”  
“Magnus,” Alec said firmly. “I think there’s something you don’t know.”

Magnus took a deep, sharp breath, and looked up very slowly. His eyes widened as he looked at Alec, almost as if in fear.

“I never told you because...” Alec looked past him for a moment, licking his lips. “I didn’t want you to feel...” Groping for words, Alec dug both hands into his hair. “The point is, I was so afraid in the beginning that this was... that you were... not in love... the way I was.”  
“But I am,” Magnus said in a slightly trembling voice. “I love you, Alexander.”  
“I know,” Alec replied with a faint smile. “And I love you too. But I really...” He closed his eyes with a heavy sigh, and when he opened them again he looked at Magnus again. “If I was immortal, would you ever fall out of love? Do you think one day you will wake up and discover your feelings are... dying? Vanishing? That you’re getting bored of me?”  
“Alexander,” Magnus said, eyes wide. “I would never get bored of you!”

Alec calmly met his eyes.

“Alexander,” Magnus whispered. “I have been in love before. You know I have loved before. And I know you hate thinking about that box, but so do I. I know how it will feel. I know what awaits me, in a decade, or four. I know.” He blinked, and moisture got caught in his eyelashes. “But this... this _scares_ me, Alec. I have... what I feel for you? I have never felt like this. And the thought of losing you... sometimes it hurts so much I can’t breathe. And knowing that I will lose you...” He broke off, and a single tear escaped his furious blinking.

“Unless we find a way to make me immortal,” Alec said, reached out and gently brushed the tear away.  
“But...”  
“Magnus.” Alec inclined his head and met his eyes, the look fierce and warm at the same time. “What I never told you about Nephilim... I didn’t tell you because I was worried you’d feel pressured to stay with me... out of pity, or something. But... listen. Nephilim, they love only once. Only once, and fiercely. So it doesn’t matter if I live with you for five decades or five centuries or a millennium, I will never stop loving you.”

Magnus stared at him now, lips parted and eyes wide, and another tear joined the first one. He shook his head, at a loss for words, and let himself sink into Alec’s embrace as he closed his arms around Magnus’ shoulders. They held on to each other, Alec’s face buried in Magnus’ hair and Magnus’ face pressed into the crook of Alec’s neck, and Alec ran a gentle hand up and down Magnus’ back.

When they finally parted Magnus needed a moment to put himself together again and fix his make-up, while Alec smiled at him with warm eyes.

“Well,” Magnus said and tried to smile. “We have a few years to figure it out then.”  
“We do,” Alec replied. “And hey...”  
Magnus tilted his head, cocking one inquisitive eyebrow.  
“You’re Magnus Bane.” Alec took one of Magnus’ hands and pressed a kiss onto Magnus’ knuckles. “If there’s anyone who can figure this out, then it’s you.”

Shaking his head with a fond smile Magnus leaned closer, and for the moment they got lost in another kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

Gossip travels fast, and most of New York’s Downworld knew what had happened to Magnus, and why exactly it had happened, by the time they returned to Brooklyn after their week in Paris. Catarina might have tried to be a little discreet about it, but Annie had no problem whatsoever telling people what exactly she thought about the events surrounding Magnus and his defeat of the Owl.

Magnus was growing quite fond of her.

It all led to Lorenzo showing up in the loft, demanding from Magnus that he made her stop ruining his reputation, to which Magnus had replied that she was neither his property nor his familiar and he would have to tell her that himself.

Lorenzo left in a huff. Magnus watched him go and as soon as the door had closed behind him, he headed for his drink cart and poured himself a Martini. Taking a sip with a very smug smile he then made his way towards the balcony.

“Does he feel threatened?” Alec asked, who had hitherto kept himself in the background. “In his position I mean.”  
“As a High Warlock?” Magnus took another sip and looked at Alec with a twitch of his eyebrows. “Maybe.”   
“You should never have lost that position,” Alec replied and rested his hand on the wall before him, looking out across the skyline, his eyebrows lowering. “You’re far more qualified.”  
“Alexander, a fledgling vampire might be more qualified than him.” Magnus leaned his back against the railing and looked at Alec. “Catarina would fit the bill. Or Annie.”  
“Annie isn’t exactly leadership material,” Alec said with a small frown, but then smiled at Magnus.  
“And she would kick my ass from here to Los Angeles and back if I dared to nominate her for the election,” Magnus gave back with a grin. “Although the sight of her giving Lorenzo orders might be worth the bruises.”

Alec took a deep breath. “And if someone were to nominate you?”  
“Then I’d certainly accept, should the vote come out in my favour,” Magnus said and fiddled with his ear cuff. “I’m sure I won’t be the only one up for election, though.”  
“And what if you are?”  
“Alexander.” Magnus turned to face him. “Why are you so invested in the idea of me being High Warlock again?”  
“Because it meant a lot to you.” Alec reached out and took one of Magnus’ hands. “And don’t try to tell me otherwise. I know you too well.”

Magnus looked at him for a moment and then huffed out a sigh, a faint smile on his lips. “You caught me, I’m afraid.” He took another sip of his drink. “Yes, it would mean a lot, being High Warlock again. But I also meant it when I said I’ll be happy if Lorenzo loses the title even if it isn’t to me.”

Then he took another sip of his drink. “And as of yet, there isn’t even another election appointed, so we shall cross that bridge when we get to it. And in the meantime, I have something better to do than thinking about Lorenzo.”  
“And that would be?” Alec asked, leaning closer.  
“Drinks,” Magnus replied and knocked back his Martini. “Have sex with my gorgeous boyfriend. And then go and find out how to keep him, permanently.”  
“Sounds good to me,” Alec said with a chuckle. “But I’m all out of drink.”  
“Don’t worry about that, darling.” Magnus took a hold of Alec’s belt to pull him close. “The sequence of the aforementioned is flexible. I can mix you a drink when I’m done with you in the bedroom.”

Alec laughed as he let Magnus drag him to the bedroom by his belt buckle, and neither of them thought of anything but each other anymore for the rest of the day.

* * *

It was the next morning that Lorenzo showed up at the Institute, demanding Alec’s attention. He had three other warlocks in tow, two of whom looked bored while the third looked as if she’d rather be anywhere else right now. 

“Mr. Rey,” Alec said, with a bright smile. “What can I do for you?”  
“I have some questions for you, Mr. Lightwood,” Lorenzo replied haughtily. “Regarding the unsanctioned demon summoning.”  
“Demon summoning?” Alec looked around, and back at Lorenzo. “What demon summoning?”  
“I’d appreciate it if you’re not trying to play dumb with me,” the warlock replied, narrowing his eyes. 

“The only demon who showed his face lately was Asmodeus,” Alec said and shrugged. “And I can assure you that no one I know was mad enough to summon him.”  
“So where did he come from?”  
“Edom?” Alec tilted his head.  
“Very funny.” Lorenzo said and folded his hands behind his back. 

“Mr. Rey,” Alec said then and crossed his arms. “No one here summoned Asmodeus. I can assure-”  
“Then what made him show his face here?” Lorenzo interrupted him. “Was he paying a personal visit?”  
“Look,” Alec said with a sigh. “The whole thing is rather... complicated. Shouldn’t we take this to my office?”  
“I’m all ears, Mr. Lightwood,” Lorenzo gave back curtly.  
“Very well,” Alec replied and dropped his arms again. 

After another glance at Lorenzo he walked over to a desk covered in papers and files, and retrieved a tablet from under the mess. He walked back towards the warlocks while scrolling through a text. 

“As you are aware, you denied Magnus Bane the help of other warlocks to battle the Owl demon,” Alec began.   
“I am the High Warlock of Brooklyn,” Lorenzo snapped. “I did what was best for my people!”  
“I would never assume otherwise,” Alec gave back calmly. “So in effect, Mr. Bane went to find the source to battle the Owl elsewhere: Asmodeus,” Alec said then and looked up from his tablet for a moment.   
“Oh?” Lorenzo crossed his arms.  
“Are you aware of their relationship?”  
“I am,” Lorenzo replied. “Go on.”

“I guess it doesn’t come as a surprise that Asmodeus had a steep price for his help,” Alec went on, looking back at the report he had put together for the Clave. “Asmodeus demanded that Magnus stay with him in Edom to rule beside him, and put a spell on him that made it unable for him to stay topside for any amount of time.” Alec took a deep breath. “And-”  
“Excuse me, but if Asmodeus wanted him in Edom, then what is he doing here?”  
“ I was about to get there,” Alec replied. “So if you wouldn’t mind letting me finish we can get this over with.”

Lorenzo huffed, but kept silent.

“I made investigations about how to save Magnus and deal with Asmodeus should he chose to appear in New York. I was successful with the former, and when Asmodeus came after Magnus, I was also able to dispose of him.”  
“Asmodeus?” Lorenzo lifted one eyebrow. “You sent him back to Edom on your own?”  
“Not back to Edom,” Alec replied. “I found information about how to kill him. As in, end him. Once and for all. And yes, I was successful. But Asmodeus was not summoned. The only demon summoning that happened was when-”  
“When Catarina Loss summoned Bane to set him free, I heard the rest.” Lorenzo pressed his lips together. “That was unsanctioned, as well.”  
“I wasn’t aware that the summoning of demons always needed approval of the High Warlock,” Alec said and put the tablet down on the table next to him. 

Most people in the Ops centre hadn’t paid them much attention so far, but every now and then one Shadowhunter of the other would glance over. 

“Bane isn’t a demon though,” one of the other warlocks now said with a frown.  
“As far as I know, summoning him was the fastest and easiest way to get him out of Edom,” Alec said. “But that’s not my expertise, I am not a warlock.”  
“Damn well you’re not,” Lorenzo hissed. “And you’d do well to remember that before you meddle with warlock business the next time.”  
“So I should have left Magnus to rot in Edom for the rest of eternity?” Alec asked sharply. “No warlock was in any danger during that-”  
“That’s not your call to make,” Lorenzo snarled. “You just said you know nothing about demon summoning, so you know nothing about the risks!”  
“Catarina Loss does,” Alec replied calmly, but his voice was cold. “I left that part of the plan to her. I asked for help, and she decided to help me, as well as Annie McIntosh. No other warlocks were involved, and those two volunteered.”

“I will have to look into that,” Lorenzo said, a slightly oily grin on his face. “I hope I don’t need to remind you that I forbade all involvement in the case to protect my people. And if those two-”  
“Mr Rey...”  
“Don’t interrupt me, Lightwood.”  
“Can we keep this civilised?” Alec took a deep breath. “There was never any danger-”  
“That is not for you to decide. The risks are nothing that a Shadowhunter would understand.”  
“What risks?” Alec was losing his patience. “What were the risks for any warlock, for anyone, when Catarina and Annie summoned Magnus to save him?”

“Right,” someone muttered as he walked past Alec. “Mr. Bane risked a lot more when he went to barter with a greater demon. Or when he purified the leylines.”

Alec cleared his throat, his eyes on Lorenzo who, for a second, looked like a fish on dry land, mouth opening and closing a few times. 

“We’re done here,” Lorenzo said then, glaring at Alec as if daring him to open his mouth again.  
“Hang on,” the female warlock in his entourage said. “What was that about the leylines?”  
“Yes,” one of the other two warlocks added. “Bane had nothing to do with the leylines.”

“Excuse me?” The Shadowhunter in question, none other than Underhill, stopped in his tracks and walked back. “I was here when Mr. Lightwood and Mr. Bane discussed a way to purify the leylines using the angelic core, here in this very room. They evacuated the Institute before they went downstairs to overcharge the core while Mr. Bane re-routed the leylines to this place, to flush the demonic corruption out.”

Lorenzo was gritting his teeth so hard his cheekbones protruded, and the other three warlocks stared back and forth between each other, Lorenzo, Underhill, and Alec who rubbed the back of his hand against his mouth and chin. After a moment, all three of them looked back at Lorenzo. 

“We shall discuss this,” Lorenzo snapped. “We’re done here.”

Alec and Underhill watched them go, and Alec slowly crossed his arms again as the door fell shut behind them. 

“That didn’t go down well,” Underhill remarked with a small frown.  
“I wasn’t going to rub this into anyone’s face,” Alec said with a shake of his head. “But I guess coming here trying to smear dirt on me and the two warlocks who helped me kind of backfired.”

They exchanged a look, and Underhill shrugged, trying to suppress a smile, but not nearly as hard or as successful as Alec did.

* * *

When Alec returned back to the loft that evening however, his good mood instantly evaporated upon seeing Magnus pacing back and forth. He had a slightly haunted look in his eyes.

“Magnus?” Alec hurried to his side and searched his eyes. “Magnus, what happened?”  
“The warlock council,” Magnus said hesitantly. “They called a meeting.”  
Alec took a deep breath and stepped closer. “Did they say why?”  
Magnus finally looked up. “It’s about the Owl, and Lilith, and...” He shook his head. “I went against orders of the High Warlock,” he went on in a small voice. “Now I have to face the consequences.”

“But you already faced the consequences! You lost your position!” Alec curled his hands into fists.   
“That was because of the Seelie queen,” Magnus said hesitantly, avoiding Alec’s eyes. “Since this is what led to Asmodeus showing up topside, there is going to be another investigation.”  
Closing his eyes for a moment Alec licked his lips, then he rested his hands on Magnus’ shoulders. “And what do you think will happen?”  
“Best case scenario?” Magnus looked up at him. “I get a slap on the wrist. Most likely scenario? I’ll get banned from New York.”  
“What?” Alec blinked, eyes widening. “For saving the city?”  
“Warlocks can be particular about the rules they lay down,” Magnus said and dropped his head again. He rubbed his fingers across his forehead. “They could send me to the Spiral Labyrinth for a decade or a century if they so decide.”  
“Magnus!” Alec tightened his hold around Magnus’ shoulders. “They can’t do that! You saved the city twice!”  
Magnus shrugged. “I guess I shall find out if the rules matter more than the deeds.”

Alec took a few deep breaths to calm himself. “I will not stand for this. I will not-”  
“Alexander,” Magnus interrupted gently. “The fate of a single warlock is not worth breaking the accords over. I don’t want to be the reason for another war between the Clave and the Downworld.”  
“I didn’t bring you back from Edom just to lose you again to an uptight ass like Lorenzo!” Alec huffed out an angry sigh. “It’s not going to happen!”  
“Alexander,” Magnus said again. “Maybe I’m worried for nothing. Let’s not cry wolf, hmm?”

Alec didn’t reply, but closed his arms firmly around Magnus to pull him close when Magnus leaned against him.

* * *

The meeting of the warlock council was scheduled in three days, three days that left Magnus an emotional mess. The waiting was driving him mad; he couldn’t sleep, and Alec frequently had to force him to eat and drink something. So when the day had finally arrived Magnus was more than glad, just because he would finally get it over with. Both Annie and Catarina had expressed their support for him, but if the three of them were on their own against the council they stood little chance.

Alec stayed in the loft that day, preparing for the worst. He had made dinner and bought wine, and had several phone conversations with his sister who tried to keep him calm, telling him that it would all be okay and that the warlocks wouldn’t exile Magnus for being involved in disposing of two greater demons. 

It was close to midnight when Magnus entered the loft, and Alec was immediately on his feet. Magnus looked tired but not crushed, and he managed a smile when he looked at Alec. 

“How did it go?” Alec asked. “Are you okay?”  
Magnus had reached him now and tugged at Alec’s collar, flicking an imaginary piece of lint from Alec’s shoulder. “I’m the High Warlock of Brooklyn,” he said smugly. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”  
“Okay that’s – hang on, what?” Alec grabbed Magnus by the shoulders. “You are what?”  
“Turns out I indeed worried for nothing.” Magnus smiled at him, a little tired, but bright enough to light the room. “This wasn’t so much about me as it was about Lorenzo, his false claims about the leylines, and his refusal to help me, which was more because of personal spite than the desire to protect the warlocks. I had witnesses.”  
“Annie and Catarina?”  
“Those too,” Magnus replied, his smile widening into a grin. “But more the three warlocks who were Lorenzo’s spit lickers, until today, when _someone_ informed them about Lorenzo’s involvement in the leyline issue, or rather, his non-involvement.” He shrugged, and winked. “That didn’t go down well. And neither did the fact that he tried to clamp down on warlock business regarding demon summoning, which, I guess, was an attempt to get at us retroactively. But that new rule he wanted to impose didn’t go down well either.”

Alec was smiling now as well. “So the warlocks...”  
“Apparently remembered that my misjudgement regarding the Seelie queen was exactly that, and done in the honest desire to protect my people,” Magnus said, still smiling, “whereas Lorenzo made claims that weren’t true and then tried to cover his mistakes with trying to press new rules.”

They looked at each other for a moment, then Alec clamped his arms around Magnus and pulled him close. He even spun him around once, which made Magnus laugh and complain about the humiliation at the same time. Alec quickly found a way to silence those complaints, and when Magnus had to magically re-heat the dinner Alec had prepared, none of them complained either.


End file.
